Chapter Seven
The Heroic Defense of the Queen?s
Mountain, and Sacrifices Made

         Morning came. I felt the same queasiness soldiers throughout time have felt in anticipation of a coming conflict. However, I did not think of myself as a soldier, regimented and controlled. The winds had blown me to my current situation, fate, chance, foolishness and luck. All of us had been adrift in chaos since we set out from Stewart?s Landing. Only Lady Sykora through force of will was able to maintain for us the illusion of order and planning. Her self-possession was genuine, but precarious.
         Even the distant rhythm of an approaching army failed to breach her stoical shell. It is hard to describe the sound of a thousand boots trampling the ground in perfect step. It does not sound like a thousand pairs of boots, but a single pair of giant?s feet, rending the soil and throwing up dust as they progress unopposed and unstoppable.
         Every man and woman on the terrace held the same expression; a questioning skyward-flung mask of anticipation. The sound grew louder and yet we could see no one coming up the mountain pass. Then the marching stopped. We heard hoofbeats on the cobblestone.
         A rider approached slowly, a fine white flag projecting from a harness on his back.
         Stem bellowed an order to her girls and they lowered their weapons slightly.
         ?Hold you fire!? Sykora sounded, and we waited.
         The rider approached, his metal gleaming orange and red in the glowing new day. When he reached the barricade, he held up his hand.
         Despite the wound in her side, Stem bounded to the top of the barricade, spear in hand. Hannah translated what was said in a low whisper.
         ?State your business, Thane.?
         The Thanish emissary responded in the Farrowsian tongue.
         ?Your city has fallen. Your great army has been decimated. We humbly request that you allow us to pay homage to your great queen and make a treaty of peace with your great nation. There is no more reason that we should fight each other. We would have you stand by our side in the coming battles so our two great nations may bring justice and order to all mankind...?
         Had the speech been delivered by a man with any compassion it might almost have been inspiring. Instead, his dispassionate recitation chilled me, made me more willing than ever to fight.
         Stem felt as I did. She swung the blunt end of her spear down onto the emissary?s helmet. It gave the Thane a terrible fright and he wheeled his horse and spurred him back down the pass to the noisome jeers and screeches of the Farrowsians.
         Within a few moments we saw and heard the Thanish line come into view. They stood ten abreast, a solid wall of black metal and shimmering green silk. Their rifles pointed skyward, their long slender bayonets already affixed. Stem clambered to a high spot in the rocks overlooking the approach to the barricade and raised her hand. The men at the cannon readied themselves at this signal. I did my best to assist the cannoneers as the rhythmic crash of the marchers grew louder. Looking down I cursed my missing hand and the pirate who took it from me.
         The battle began rather gently. It is a strange word to use to describe a battle, but it was like the first few scattered drops of a rainstorm. A musket fired, one of ours I think. A few seconds later a second musket. The Thanish lines moved to within a dozen yards of our barricade and halted. More unauthorized musket shots leaped at them. One or two of the Thanes crumpled. The order was given and the first five rows of Thanes dropped into the ready position. Another fell. Another shout and the entire line charged. Stem lowered her hand and bellowed.
         With a tremendous blast our cannon cut down a line through the Thanish ranks. The men fell like blades of grass as the shot bounced and spun through them. Another two cannon bellowed. One with similar effect to the first, while the shot from the third was a bomb shot and exploded at the front of the Thanish formation. I was stunned by the effectiveness of the weapons as my fellows began to reload.
         Through the smoke, I heard screaming and orders being given, and I could see dozens upon dozens of Thanes suddenly charging the barricade.
         Hannah, Dr. Bur and Lady Sykora were down behind the barricade and each one fired through makeshift openings in the wall. Along with the Farrowsian musketeers, they kept up a steady rain of fire and very quickly the bodies of the Thanes began to pile up.
         Another two blasts from our available cannon and bodies flew through the air. The Thanes were being cut down before they could even reach our barricade, much less begin to scale it. I dared to think we could hold them.
         Wave after wave came at us, the column of troops stretching far down the mountainside and the end of it being nowhere in sight.
         I heard a whistling sound overhead and an explosion tore threw one of our gun emplacements.
         ?Had their gun misfired?? I thought to myself, but then more explosions erupted around the terrace. Mortars.
         The Thanes had moved mortars into position somewhere down the mountain and were now sending a steady barrage up and over their own lines. I realized immediately the ramifications of this tactic.
         I leaped down from my position, leaving my fellows to fire their doomed weapon. No sooner had I touched the cobblestone terrace below than a mortar shell landed nearby, killing the Farrowsian gunners both and destroying the cannon. I ran for my musket which was loaded and primed with a single shot.
         I went to the barricade, taking a place at Hannah?s side. She fired relentlessly, every shot perfectly aimed, every shot followed immediately by another. Dr. Bur fired as well, awkwardly, but valiantly. Sykora pointed the barrel of her pistol through a narrow opening, fired all six rounds, then reloaded to fire again.
         Another mortar shell exploded nearby. I felt hot needles on the back of my neck, tiny metal splinters of our last piece of artillery. Glowing ash drifted by.
         Hannah swooned and fell to one knee. She was closer to the blast than I. Dr. Bur was at her side. Her eyes rolled back into her head and Dr. Bur hefted her on his shoulder and carried her into the palace.
         I wanted to go to her, to make sure she was all right, but before I even moved, Lady Sykora shot me a glance and I knew that none of us would survive if the Thanes could not be stopped. I reloaded and fired again, as quickly as I could with my one good hand, praying silently that Hannah would not die.
         The Thanes kept coming. We all kept up a steady fusillade, but still they began to scale the barricade. I discharged a final shot into the oncoming horde, threw down the gun and drew my sword.
         ?Back fall-ing!? Sykora commanded. I tried to pull one of our comrades away from the wall, but she batted away my hand, unwilling to retreat. Sykora and I, along with a few others began a dash towards the main gate of the palace.
         A Thane appeared on top of the barricade, his rifle leveled at us. Stem stepped between him and us and skewered him through the neck on her spear. He tumbled backward without a sound.
         The Thanes were coming over now, only one or two at first. These first brave barbarians met gruesome ends at the hands of the noble Farrowsians below. However, soon there were more Thanes to take their place and they were coming faster than they could be killed.
         Our group moved into the shallow overhang outside the gates and waited, firing when the opportunity presented itself. Sykora reloaded once more and the mortar fire stopped. A few tense moments of silence, then a great roar went up amongst the enemy.
         ?Here they come,? Sykora said.
         The Thanes washed over our meager barricade like a wave.
         Stem and her students fought with such ferocity that even the unfeeling Thanish swarm seemed to hesitate. I felt as if Stem alone, her spear and blade flashing, could hold off the devils for an eternity. That was not to be. The briefest of distractions and Stem?s spear was caught. I saw Stem drown in a flood of the enemy, lifted up and dashed on a dozen flashing bayonets.
         We withdrew inside the gates realizing that only one of our Farrowsian comrades was still with us. The rest remained on the terrace to fight and die. Her name was Stira, and she was far too young to be a soldier. Still, I had seen her bravery on the terrace. She was wounded, her left arm bloodied, and her vision blurred from a mortar blast that should have killed her. We saw our chance to flee and we took it. We barred the heavy wooden gate and ran into the palace.
         ?This way,? said Sykora, and we passed through the great hall and into the Queen?s audience chamber.
         The Queen was still there, motionless on her low throne. Two attendants lay prone on the floor beside her. The Queen?s arms were open, her hands hanging limply. On the floor under each hand was a huge pool of crimson. Two rivers of red ran down the stone steps before her, a great grievous slash on each wrist. Utter defeat had come to the Farrowsians.
         ?Hannah!? I called, ?Doctor!? No response. Already we heard a furious banging from the gate. Any moment the Thanes would turn their large guns on the door and blast their way in.
         ?The back door is our only chance,? I said, stammering slightly.
         ?There...?, Stira said weakly, and pointed.
         Near the Queen?s throne and behind a hanging yellow curtain there lay a straight narrow passage. It was a finely hewn and finished as the rest of the palace, but was only wide enough for two people to pass each other comfortably.
         ?Where is Hannah?? I shouted. There was a great rumble, a rush of air and we heard the battle cries of the Thanes as they breached the gate.
         ?Damn it all.? Sykora muttered.
         Stira stumbled and fell at the feet of her dead Queen, her eyes shut tight, resigned to whatever fate was to befall her. Sykora and I did not have the luxury of concession.
         The corridor was dark, and I wrested one of the large sconces from the wall and used it to light our way. The corridor slanted downward after about fifty feet and then forked into two wider passages. We could tell that one of these curved back around in the general direction of the palace great hall, but the other passage went deeper into the mountain.
         We took the latter fork and soon came upon a stout wood and iron door that blocked the entire passage. It was barred from our side and we quickly opened it and shut it again. On the other side there was no way to lock or bar the door, so we left it closed and continued on as fast as was prudent in the dim flickering light.
         Eventually we came upon a set of long shallow stairs.
As we progressed deeper the passage became more rough and rocky, the steps more steep and the angle of our decent more severe. We climbed down for what seemed like hours, and I tried in vain to suppress thoughts of Hannah and Dr. Bur.
I felt a cool breeze and our lamp went dark. No doubt the Thanes had found our escape route and had just opened the door blocking the passage. We stumbled into another door, this one with a heavy iron grate through which we could see the space beyond. We pushed open the door and burst out into a broad cave, the sound of lapping water nearby.
         The sea cave was a perfect port in miniature. Wares of all kind were stacked about on the broad flat rocks, and wooden piers provided a stable place to dock small ferry boats. There was one such boat there. It was too large and too fine to be a simple ferry boat, and we guessed it had been left for the Queen to use should she need to evacuate.
         We piled in, throwing off the mooring ropes. I pushed us off. I began to try to row, absent-mindedly forgetting my handicap. Lady Sykora tapped me on the shoulder and took the oars herself. I took the rudder.
         We brought the boat about and rowed for daylight, not really considering our destination. Soon we cleared the rocky ceiling of the sea cave and headed out into the choppy sea. We hugged the coast for a time, and for a few moments I thought we might actually escape.
         The Thanes were waiting for us of course. As Stem had said, the sea cave entrance had long been known to the Thanes. A Thanish cruiser and a gunboat approached out of the thin smoke. A single booming shot, and a great splash abaft. Lady Sykora stopped rowing, a blank expression came to her face.
         I could see the Thanish marines on the decks aiming at us. We both sat still and silent as they approached.
         ?Surrender...? Sykora said, more to herself than to me.
         ?They won?t get this.?
          I pulled off my satchel. Sykora was silent. At my feet was the boat?s small anchor. I cut the rope with my bayonet and lashed the anchor to the strap of my case. I heard a musket fire and the rail next to me erupted in splinters. I hurled the cursed satchel overboard, and watched as my charge sank down and disappeared once and for all into the deep green water.
         ?No one will get it,? Sykora said, a wistful tone now obvious in her voice. The blood of Thanes and valiant Farrowsians bespangled her cheeks. I sat down and stared at her. We waited in silence as the gunship plowed through the water towards us, inevitable and unopposed.

To be continued...

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